Some pro and contra arguments:
contra-arguments against following the news:
- dangers of doomscrolling - negative news (which are a huge part) can cause you to be more depressed. Sometimes they invoke stress and sorrows
- sometimes they can be overwhelming - so many also often negative ones are omnipresent
- possible sensationalism, clickbaiting, manipulation, propaganda, distorted narratives
- subscriptions cost money but it also can be time consuming. You might could do something instead that makes you more happy in the end
- you can develop a media addiction and unhealthy habits, and you might be exposed to media biases -> lose interest in civic discourse
- sometimes the news are repetitive and superficial
pro-arguments of following the news:
- staying aware and informed on events that affect you and your loved ones
- it is a way to learn critical thinking and analytical skills by comparing different perspectives and evaluating different sources (-> this is something I try)
- finding opportunities that can benefit your personal and professional growth
- participating in civic and democratic processes by being informed on political, economical and societal issues
-learn new things about the world and by that staying open-minded
I am a news junkie. It takes a lot of time to stay informed. However more and more I try to read less media articles and instead I want to read scientifical articles. The media is good to follow persons and current matters. But if I want in-depth policy analysis I should search for scientifical sources. I admit the media also has some gems. I write about them regularly. However I am not sure whether I catch the essence of things or if I just repeat black-white narratives when I read the media. I think scholars are on most issues way more nuanced. In the media there are often instead endlessly repeated talking points. There is a cycle of news. The problem is shown to us but then suddenly a more importing issues emerges when we never found a solution for the old one. I think in my country the following is called "topic or theme carrier". It means that a news topic goes through different stages and the way we talk about it changes. Such a cycle can be influenced by money interests, the holiday season or the attention span of the audience. Personally I try to look behind the facade of stories. I am not sure whether I am good at that. I like to be involved in current debates so I like to stay well informed. On the other hand I wish I was an expert on one topic and being perfectly informed about a complexe issue in-depth. Ironically my behavior in this forum resembles a columnist in a newspaper. Something I usually don't read in newspapers. However due the fact it is not a newscompany and we are no staff I still like to read opinions of other people. Due to the fact the members are a mix from different cultures and nations it often gives me very interesting insights how debates in other countries are held. When I was a young child and we got an internet access I was thrilled by getting the opportunity to exchange my thoughts with people from other countries.
One end-note. I find it interesting I think many people here express they are annoyed by the media. At the same time I get many compliments for my threads and I get the ideas by reading media articles. However the German media I follow has a very high quallity and sometimes I add knowledge from other more scientifical sources. It is funny. I read so much news and other articles and then I pack/condense my thoughts about it in threads which distracts me sometimes from my sorrows. I think both sides profit of that. Hopefully.
contra-arguments against following the news:
- dangers of doomscrolling - negative news (which are a huge part) can cause you to be more depressed. Sometimes they invoke stress and sorrows
- sometimes they can be overwhelming - so many also often negative ones are omnipresent
- possible sensationalism, clickbaiting, manipulation, propaganda, distorted narratives
- subscriptions cost money but it also can be time consuming. You might could do something instead that makes you more happy in the end
- you can develop a media addiction and unhealthy habits, and you might be exposed to media biases -> lose interest in civic discourse
- sometimes the news are repetitive and superficial
pro-arguments of following the news:
- staying aware and informed on events that affect you and your loved ones
- it is a way to learn critical thinking and analytical skills by comparing different perspectives and evaluating different sources (-> this is something I try)
- finding opportunities that can benefit your personal and professional growth
- participating in civic and democratic processes by being informed on political, economical and societal issues
-learn new things about the world and by that staying open-minded
I am a news junkie. It takes a lot of time to stay informed. However more and more I try to read less media articles and instead I want to read scientifical articles. The media is good to follow persons and current matters. But if I want in-depth policy analysis I should search for scientifical sources. I admit the media also has some gems. I write about them regularly. However I am not sure whether I catch the essence of things or if I just repeat black-white narratives when I read the media. I think scholars are on most issues way more nuanced. In the media there are often instead endlessly repeated talking points. There is a cycle of news. The problem is shown to us but then suddenly a more importing issues emerges when we never found a solution for the old one. I think in my country the following is called "topic or theme carrier". It means that a news topic goes through different stages and the way we talk about it changes. Such a cycle can be influenced by money interests, the holiday season or the attention span of the audience. Personally I try to look behind the facade of stories. I am not sure whether I am good at that. I like to be involved in current debates so I like to stay well informed. On the other hand I wish I was an expert on one topic and being perfectly informed about a complexe issue in-depth. Ironically my behavior in this forum resembles a columnist in a newspaper. Something I usually don't read in newspapers. However due the fact it is not a newscompany and we are no staff I still like to read opinions of other people. Due to the fact the members are a mix from different cultures and nations it often gives me very interesting insights how debates in other countries are held. When I was a young child and we got an internet access I was thrilled by getting the opportunity to exchange my thoughts with people from other countries.
One end-note. I find it interesting I think many people here express they are annoyed by the media. At the same time I get many compliments for my threads and I get the ideas by reading media articles. However the German media I follow has a very high quallity and sometimes I add knowledge from other more scientifical sources. It is funny. I read so much news and other articles and then I pack/condense my thoughts about it in threads which distracts me sometimes from my sorrows. I think both sides profit of that. Hopefully.
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